Floats McGoats: A Fun Family Game
The kids and I tried out another new game we got through Timberdoodle last week. This one is called Floats McGoats.
It’s a fun strategy game which can be played by 2 to 4 players. Rules of play are super simple.
Goats must be positioned on the game board next to a wooden stick, which serves as a life raft. Play begins with only two rafts in place – the anchor sticks.
Other sticks are placed on the game board light side up. As long as the light side remains up, the sticks can be moved to another position.
Once the sticks are flipped over so that the dark side faces up, they become stationary and can no longer be moved to another spot on the board.
On each person’s turn, the player has a choice of placing a goat in any open position on the board (ie, next to a stick) or rolling the die and doing what it says.
The rules of play contains a legend that can be easily referenced to determine what each rolled symbol means.
In addition to goats, there is also a shark that sometimes makes an appearance on the board, sending whatever goat originally occupied that space back to its owner.
Goats also float out to sea (and return to their owner) when the surrounding sticks get moved such that any goat is left in a space that is no longer adjacent to any life raft.
The object of the game is to be the first to accumulate five points by completely surrounding your goat game pieces with sticks.
Each mama goat that has sticks on all three sides of her space on the board is worth 1 point, while a baby goat that is completely surrounded by sticks is worth 2 points.
Depending on the roll of the die, you may be asked to stack goats, flip sticks, swap spaces, or declare a shark attack.
My kids had a blast playing this fun, fast-paced game. My daughter won the first round, but her brothers quickly challenged her to another.
We all found Floats McGoats to be a fun, clever game that is unlike anything else we’ve ever played.
Does Floats McGoats sound like a game your family would enjoy? It is available from Timberdoodle for individual purchase and also as a part of the 2025 6th Grade Curriculum Kit.
And while you’re on the Timberdoodle website, I’d encourage you to look around. We love everything we’ve ever ordered from this small family-owned company!
Be sure to sign up for their Doodle Dollar program to save on future purchases. And to read more of my Timberdoodle Reviews, follow this link.
PLEASE NOTE: As a member of the Timberdoodle blog team, I routinely receive free or deeply discounted products in exchange for writing honest reviews. Opinions expressed in these posts are 100% my own. I’ve been a happy and enthusiastic Timberdoodle customer for decades — long before I ever started blogging for their company.
